In this episode, Chris and Gareth talk with James Dekle, the artist in residence at the Purdue Black Cultural Center. We at Music2gether want to honor our Black colleagues throughout the year (not just during February as Black History Month), so we discussed his work as a Black person in predominantly White spaces, racialized trauma, and the healing power that comes from musical experiences.

James grew up in Statesboro, Georgia. He attended Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee, FL, Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. and now the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He spent a lot of his adult life conducting choirs in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Indiana. He was also involved in the Atlanta Music Project, an El Sistema program. At Purdue, he directs the Black Voices of Inspiration Choir and the Purdue Express, a group he founded in 2016.  He’s a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of American, ACDA, NAFME, and the Georgia Music Industry Association.